[AussieBird]

Shelly Blake-Plock posted these predictions on MindShift.
What do you think?

21 Things That Will Be Obsolete In 2020

1. DESKS
The 21st century does not fit neatly into rows. Neither should your students. Allow the network-based concepts of flow, collaboration, and dynamism help you rearrange your room for authentic 21st century learning.
2. LANGUAGE LABS
Foreign language acquisition is only a smartphone away. Get rid of those clunky desktops and monitors and do something fun with that room.
3. COMPUTERS
Ok, so this is a trick answer. More precisely this one should read: “Our concept of what a computer is.” Because computing is going mobile and over the next decade we’re going to see the full fury of individualized computing via handhelds come to the fore. Can’t wait.
4. HOMEWORK
The 21st century is a 24/7 environment. And the next decade is going to see the traditional temporal boundaries between home and school disappear. And despite whatever Secretary Duncan might say, we don’t need kids to ‘go to school’ more; we need them to ‘learn’ more. And this will be done 24/7 and on the move (see #3).
5. THE ROLE OF STANDARDIZED TESTS IN COLLEGE ADMISSIONS
The AP Exam is on its last legs. The SAT isn’t far behind. Over the next ten years, we will see Digital Portfolios replace test scores as the #1 factor in college admissions.
6. DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION AS A SIGN OF DISTINGUISHED TEACHER
The 21st century is customizable. In ten years, the teacher who hasn’t yet figured out how to use tech to personalize learning will be the teacher out of a job. Differentiation won’t make you ‘distinguished’; it’ll just be a natural part of your work.
7. FEAR OF WIKIPEDIA
Wikipedia is the greatest democratizing force in the world right now. If you are afraid of letting your students peruse it, it’s time you get over yourself.
8. PAPERBACKS
Books were nice. In ten years’ time, all reading will be via digital means. And yes, I know, you like the ‘feel’ of paper. Well, in ten years’ time you’ll hardly tell the difference as ‘paper’ itself becomes digitized.
9. ATTENDANCE OFFICES
Bio scans. ‘Nuff said.
10. LOCKERS
A coat-check, maybe.
11. I.T. DEPARTMENTS
Ok, so this is another trick answer. More subtly put: IT Departments as we currently know them. Cloud computing and a decade’s worth of increased wifi and satellite access will make some of the traditional roles of IT — software, security, and connectivity — a thing of the past. What will IT professionals do with all their free time? Innovate. Look to tech departments to instigate real change in the function of schools over the next twenty years.
12. CENTRALIZED INSTITUTIONS
School buildings are going to become ‘home bases’ of learning, not the institutions where all learning happens. Buildings will get smaller and greener, student and teacher schedules will change to allow less people on campus at any one time, and more teachers and students will be going out into their communities to engage in experiential learning.
13. ORGANIZATION OF EDUCATIONAL SERVICES BY GRADE
Education over the next ten years will become more individualized, leaving the bulk of grade-based learning in the past. Students will form peer groups by interest and these interest groups will petition for specialized learning. The structure of K-12 will be fundamentally altered.
14. EDUCATION SCHOOLS THAT FAIL TO INTEGRATE TECHNOLOGY
This is actually one that could occur over the next five years. Education Schools have to realize that if they are to remain relevant, they are going to have to demand that 21st century tech integration be modeled by the very professors who are supposed to be preparing our teachers.
15. PAID/OUTSOURCED PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
No one knows your school as well as you. With the power of a PLN (professional learing networks) in their back pockets, teachers will rise up to replace peripatetic professional development gurus as the source of school-wide professional development programs. This is already happening.
16. CURRENT CURRICULAR NORMS
There is no reason why every student needs to take however many credits in the same course of study as every other student. The root of curricular change will be the shift in middle schools to a role as foundational content providers and high schools as places for specialized learning.
17. PARENT-TEACHER CONFERENCE NIGHT
Ongoing parent-teacher relations in virtual reality will make parent-teacher conference nights seem quaint. Over the next ten years, parents and teachers will become closer than ever as a result of virtual communication opportunities. And parents will drive schools to become ever more tech integrated.
18. TYPICAL CAFETERIA FOOD
Nutrition information + handhelds + cost comparison = the end of $3.00 bowls of microwaved mac and cheese. At least, I so hope so.
19. OUTSOURCED GRAPHIC DESIGN AND WEB DESIGN
You need a website/brochure/promo/etc.? Well, for goodness sake just let your kids do it. By the end of the decade — in the best of schools — they will be.
20. HIGH SCHOOL ALGEBRA 1
Within the decade, it will either become the norm to teach this course in middle school or we’ll have finally woken up to the fact that there’s no reason to give algebra weight over statistics and I.T. in high school for non-math majors (and they will have all taken it in middle school anyway).
21. PAPER
In ten years’ time, schools will decrease their paper consumption by no less than 90%. And the printing industry and the copier industry and the paper industry itself will either adjust or perish

[AussieBird]

Sir Ken Robinson's brilliant TED talk, Schools Kill Creativity, has been very cleverly put on video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hkPvS...eature=related

Everyone should watch this!

[Mr Sensai]

I think a lot is wishful thinking. Some I find damn creepy.

[picturetaker]

I'm at the beginning of my career--this is only my 4th year-- and I often think of how much things will change during my career. And so much has changed already where I teach. We have switched to grade level buildings instead of neighborhood schools. The younger grades have iPads and use them for games so I could definitely see us switching to something like this for books, games, papers, journals, etc. not sure how developmentally appropriate it is for younger kids. Shoot, we even take benchmarks on the computer now. .

Where are the specials? We've cut back so much. I think it's hurting us. And so much of what I do is test driven--ugh! But that's where we're at!! Just wonder what that'll be like in the future...

[Overlightnes]

I adore Sir Ken Robinson's Schools Kill Creativity TED talk. I agree that everyone should view that video (and some other great talks on the TED website).

I do think many of those things will be obsolete. I saw an ingenious new design recently. I'm attaching it to the post. They aren't desks but moving chairs so you can arrange the room easily to suit the lesson.

[maryteach]

of Wikipedia, but I do have a healthy skepticism concerning it. Please remember that it's a wiki, and while that opens it up to lots of people adding what they know, it also opens it up to incorrect information, which a child could find and use before the editors spot it and correct it.

A wiki is a useful and wonderful thing, but it does have credibility limits and to realize this is not "fear" of something. Nor do I think I need to "get over myself."

[tmar]

Loved the picture of the movable desk chairs, but I noticed both pictures only show a room with 12-16 of them! I wonder how feasible it would be with 25-30 like most of us have!

[Logicat]

Typical of most futuristic predictions, these seem either far-fetched, or predicted in too short a time span. Remember when email and home computers became prevalent? Many people predicted that we would have a lot less paper. It turns out that we have a lot more. People send/receive more information, and then print it out.

Education cannot keep up with technological advancements due to the cost. Where's the prediction for increased funding? Theoretically, education could look very different with handheld devices and virtual interactions, etc. but in reality we do not have the budgets for that.

And parents will drive schools to become ever more tech integrated.

I have many parents who do not regularly access our online grading system to monitor their child's progress, or even use email. I'm pushing the technology on them, not the other way around.

How much has the basic structure of education really changed in the last 100 years? Is it really going to be THAT different in only 10 years? I think not.

[simplymetoo]

There are still too many people who do not have internet access at home or computers. It is true that many of our students have phones, but not with internet access, etc. We have 1:1 in our district and it is remarkable how many students do not get internet at home. Students also don't access all of the features on their laptops unless they have an assignment and they are forced to. Far to many parents have little understanding of the technology and they readily admit it. I don't think we're going to be there by 2020.

[Gromit]

A wiki is a useful and wonderful thing, but it does have credibility limits and to realize this is not "fear" of something. Nor do I think I need to "get over myself."

Exactly. My students are taught to search for credible resources on the internet, and being skeptical of Wikipedia's credibility is not being fearful.


Most of these changes will cost significant amounts of money. How likely is it that every school in the entire country will have changed this dramatically in 8 years?

[Overlightnes]

Schools haven't changed much!?

Let's think back to 10 years ago.

Almost every state has adopted the common core
Even the most underfunded school has usually at least one or more computers in each room
Interactive Whiteboards have replaced the majority of blackboards
Google Docs is creating a complete upheaval in collaborative work
Social Networking is here to stay
Tablets are entering schools to assist special needs students, replacing costly alternatives
Digital Textbooks are being developed
Classrooms are capable of streaming content

I'm sorry but give any school 10 years and the changes will be dramatic. We won't be floating around in hover cars, but the technology inside the school will be on a whole other wavelength.

[yesteach]

1. DESKS
I'd have to agree - I've been using tables since the late 90's, and would never go back to desks.. but I do like those "rolly-desk-chairs" up there!
2. LANGUAGE LABS
We don't have those now.. just the ones in the library for students who need it, and I see those going with the addition of iPads in the schools.
3. COMPUTERS
We are going to almost totally handhelds, other than laptops/desktops for projecting (interactive boards, doc cams, etc.) Many teachers are already having students use their smartphones as handhelds in the classroom for online dictionaries, checking into edmodo, etc.
4. HOMEWORK
I agree, I think the flipped classrooms will revolutionize what we think of as "homework" so that instruction takes place online, and then there is more interaction in person.
5. THE ROLE OF STANDARDIZED TESTS IN COLLEGE ADMISSIONS
I can see this, since we are already starting digital portfolios with our gifted students in elementary school now.
6. DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION AS A SIGN OF DISTINGUISHED TEACHER
Thank goodness!!! Finally, maybe people will understand that differentiation isn't "more work" or "25 individual lesson plans"!
7. FEAR OF WIKIPEDIA
This is already happening, as they are becoming more and more accurate, and have more efficient and timely editors/monitors
8. PAPERBACKS
Yep, if they all have handhelds, they all have books...
9. ATTENDANCE OFFICES
I don't think they'll go by the wayside, someone has to do the "paperwork" aspect to turn in to state agencies and register students.
10. LOCKERS
With handhelds, no use for lockers..
11. I.T. DEPARTMENTS
I think these may actually grow, rather than cease to exist. With more technology on campuses, I think there will be more IT people to deal with/monitor hardware.
12. CENTRALIZED INSTITUTIONS
Hybrid schools... I have a whole group of friends with whom I have already discussed this possibilty.. it's just a matter of time...
13. ORGANIZATION OF EDUCATIONAL SERVICES BY GRADE
This NEEDS to be done! If students were organized by ability/interest/etc. rather than age, it would be so good for students at all levels of learning.
14. EDUCATION SCHOOLS THAT FAIL TO INTEGRATE TECHNOLOGY
Yep! IF the teachers aren't coming in with the skills to integrate and teach, they can't do it with their students!
15. PAID/OUTSOURCED PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
This is already pretty much gone in our district. It's still paid, but it is more "in house" than outsourced. I'd like to think I help start this when we pushed for in house training for GT rather than going outside the district, as stated. after 15 years of working with GT students in our district, I know as well (or better) what works with our students!
16. CURRENT CURRICULAR NORMS
I can only hope, but I see this one taking MUCH longer to get across...
17. PARENT-TEACHER CONFERENCE NIGHT
This will only work when EVERY parent has access to the technology to have a virtual meeting. We have the ability to do this now, but over half of our parents don't have the computers or internet at home.
18. TYPICAL CAFETERIA FOOD
PLEASE!!!
19. OUTSOURCED GRAPHIC DESIGN AND WEB DESIGN
We've always done our own.. what makes me sad, is that ten years ago, we had a server and all of our site was written in HTML, and everyone's page was original and individual.. now we have a "host company" and everyone's page looks just the same, just "fill in the blanks."
20. HIGH SCHOOL ALGEBRA 1
We have already moved this to middle school....
21. PAPER
If you get me the handhelds, I can do without the paper... but until then, I have to have some form of feed back from students..

[yesteach]

Remember when email and home computers became prevalent? Many people predicted that we would have a lot less paper. It turns out that we have a lot more. People send/receive more information, and then print it out.

This made me laugh because I remember when we finally got school email and our principal stated that EVERYONE was responsible for checking email each week as she would no longer be sending out a weekly memo on paper, it would be in your email to save paper.. so the computer aide printed EVERY email, hole punched it, and put it in a binder in the computer lab so those who didn't know how to check their email could come read it... There was one teacher who was close to retirement (a year or so away) who for that year or two NEVER checked her email because she couldn't remember the password, she just went to the lab and read it..

[kahluablast]

My dd began a computer based high school this year. Things are so different, and she is learning! She has never shown much interest in anything other than her immediate needs, and now she comes up with the most interesting comments and questions about things. When I ask where it came from, it always is something that started in a lecture for a class. She does 100% of her work online. Lecture, homework, quizzes, tests. She isn't side tracked by the social stuff or wasting time while the teacher takes care of administrative/behavior issues. This semester she is going to class one full day a week. Last semester she went 2.5 days. I am so happy that we chose to make the jump. She is also taking 2 hybrid college classes where she goes to class one day a week for an hour to two hours, then the other session is online.

We do have access at home, however, she usually does her extra time online while she is in town between activities.

[OK4NOW]

I am waiting for pencils to go out of style. Kids will be writing on a palm pilot type pen. I think I will see in my lifetime.

The elementary school classroom that I went to in the late 70s and early
80s is gone.

The classroom I started teaching in the mid to late 90s is gone also.

[teachcarolina]

Logicat, I'm with you. I think there will be change, but I'm not sure all of these will happen. Reminds me of my fourth grade teacher telling all of us that we had to learn metric because there would be no feet, inches, yards when we grew up. Everything would be metric and we better know it! I'm in my late 40's and I still measure distance in miles, not kilometers.

[maryteach]

about "the future" when I was a kid. They talked about moving sidewalks, which you actually find in airports, flying cars, which never happened--but they MISSED computers entirely, and satellites. Didn't even mention the possibility.

[Moana Mel]

I'm with Logicat. With most places in our country cutting education funding, there's no way most of these changes would happen in the next ten years. It's not realistic at all.

The one thing on the list that's cheap and already being done are PLCs for prof. development.

I've taught for well over 20 years and have always had at least one computer in my classroom.